According to a private TV channel, a three-judge bench of the apex court, comprising Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Justice Khilji Arif Hussain and Justice Jawwad S. Khawaja, was hearing at the court’s Quetta registry the petition filed by the Balochistan Bar Association on the law and order situation in Pakistan’s largest province.

During the hearing, Chief Justice Iftikhar inquired over the delegation of policing powers to the Frontier Corps (FC).

The chief justice said that police officials were violating court’s orders and the situation had deteriorated to the extent that a district judge was assassinated along with his security guard.

Addressing Inspector General Balochistan Tariq Omar Khitab, Chief Justice Iftikhar inquired what the police had been doing and why had the FC been delegated policing powers when there were already allegations against it.